What should families with small children be careful of during the holiday season?
During the New Year's holidays, people find themselves in unusual environments, such as visiting relatives' houses, attending parties, and opening presents. In these situations, there are cases where small children accidentally put dangerous objects in their mouths, and Medical Xpress, which publishes news about medical research, introduces 'things that families with children should be particularly careful about.'
Don't forget about holiday poisoning pitfalls
'Tis the season for home holiday hazards
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-12-tis-season-home-holiday-hazards.html
◆Beware of small batteries
Toys, games, watches, remote controls, etc. may contain button batteries or dry cell batteries. If swallowed, they can get stuck in the throat or cause damage to internal organs due to electrical current. In Japan , there were 51 reports of 'children swallowing button batteries' between 2010 and 2014 (PDF file) , and 93 cases including suspected cases, of which 91 were children under the age of 3, showing that young children in particular need to be careful. You should also be careful with bead toys and magnets that expand when soaked in water.
Be careful with products that contain nicotine, such as chewing tobacco
Chewing tobacco can look like candy, so there is a risk that children may accidentally put it in their mouths. If swallowed by a young child, it can cause tremors, vomiting, and seizures, so it should be kept out of reach of children and stored in a locked place as much as possible.
◆ Be careful with alcohol
Alcohol is a common part of parties, but it's obviously not good for small children. It's especially important to be careful around the holiday season, when alcoholic drinks are more readily available, and to clean up immediately after the party and remove anything that may have contained alcohol. Chocolate and extracts used in cakes can also contain alcohol.
◆Beware of food poisoning
From Christmas to New Year, there are plenty of opportunities to eat delicious food, but if you cook it yourself you need to take basic precautions to avoid food poisoning: wash cooking utensils properly, heat raw foods to the right temperature, and refrigerate or eat food immediately after cooking rather than leaving it out.
◆You can't eat those cute Christmas plants
Common Christmas decorations include mistletoe, holly berries, yew, and poinsettia, all of which are poisonous and should be kept away from small children and animals.
◆ Lock the storage space for cleaning supplies.
Detergents, cleansers and other cleaning supplies should be stored out of sight.
Informing childless relatives about the dangers of prescription drugs
Of course, parents themselves need to be careful, but relatives who are usually not around children also need to be aware of the safety of their children. Prescription drugs are particularly problematic, so it is a good idea to encourage friends and family to keep their medications out of sight, locked up, and off the table or counter.
According to Medical Xpress, poisoning experts see parents panicking every winter holiday season, wondering if their children have eaten something dangerous. Bruce Lack of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School warned, 'The holiday season is the most exciting and busy time of the year, but it's also full of potential dangers that can ruin the holiday fun. Even seemingly harmless things can cause serious and irreparable injury.'
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